babytalk
Early Childhood Dental Health
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, making it a great time for parents and caregivers to learn more about caring for their children’s teeth. It’s also a great time to focus on ways to teach young children about the importance of oral care and how to take care of their own teeth for better life-long health.
Childhood dental health is a serious issue. Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic childhood health conditions in the United States.
Childbirth Graphics is committed to growing healthy families by providing parents and caregivers with essential information to help their infants and young children grow healthy and strong. Our parenting education products include innovative educational resources to help parents take the best care possible of their infants and young children, including teaching materials that focus on dental health.
Read on to learn more about the importance of early childhood dental health and a few of our dental health teaching resources.
Why Baby Teeth Matter
Because primary (baby) teeth eventually fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth, many parents may not understand why baby teeth matter. However, baby teeth are integral to children’s health and development. Baby teeth hold space for permanent teeth and help them come in straight. Children need their baby teeth to help them chew food, learn to speak properly, and smile. Decayed teeth can lead to severe pain, poor nutrition, and speech problems. The pain caused by only moderate tooth decay can affect a child’s entire life, even contributing to lower self-esteem and emotional problems.
Dental Health Education Materials for Parents
Featuring a model of severely decayed baby teeth, our Baby Bottle Tooth Decay Model Set graphically reveals how the sugars that coat a baby’s teeth when put to bed with a bottle can cause severe tooth decay. The model comes with a parent education handout, the 100-sheet, English/Spanish Baby Bottle Tooth Tear Pad, which explains the harmful consequences of baby bottle tooth decay and provides steps to take care of a baby's teeth.
Our Sippy Cup of Sugar™ Display shows that tooth decay continues to be a concern for toddlers and older children. The display features a sippy cup that contains a model of decayed baby teeth submerged in sugary, sticky goo. It raises awareness not only of the role sippy cups can play in childhood tooth decay, but also of the fact that drinks are the largest source of added sugar in many children’s diets.
The display includes a two-sided tent card that covers the health issues caused by too much added sugar in a child’s diet—such as childhood obesity as well as tooth decay—and tips for limiting added sugar consumption. It also emphasizes that added sugars should be avoided for children less than 2 years old.
Dental Health Education Materials for Kids
Sometimes kids need a little inspiration and know-how to brush and floss their teeth, and they’ll love seeing images of other kids doing just that in our Taking Care of Your Teeth Folding Display. Written in a kid-friendly style, the display is perfect for adults to read along with kids to teach the essentials of proper dental care.
Our Mr. Clean Mouth™ With Giant Toothbrush is a large (4" x 6" x 8") dental health model with a giant toothbrush. It’s the perfect mouth model to demonstrate proper brushing and flossing to kids, who love the soft, squishy BIOLIKE™ tongue that adds an extra touch of realism.
For more great materials and models that are the perfect educational resources to teach parents and young children about oral health, visit our website’s section devoted to parenting education resources.
The information contained in this article is not intended to replace the advice of a healthcare professional.
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